BCT Editorial – 6/21/05

This page was last updated on June 25, 2005.

Role model; Editorial; Beaver County Times; June 21, 2005.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“One problem with doubling the number of troops on the ground in Iraq is that the Army and Army Reserves are having trouble meeting their recruitment goals.

[RWC] Should we be surprised by these poll results? Democrats and the press constantly bash the effort, report in excruciating detail everything bad that happens, and completely ignore the good. We have Democrat senators making statements so anti-American that they lead the news broadcasts of anti-American networks like Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, et cetera.

“Reinstituting the draft would solve that.”

[RWC] This is a poor attempt to goad the Bush administration into pushing Congress to institute a draft. A draft would allow liberals to say, “We told you Bush wanted a draft.” It would also make it easier to drum up widespread war opposition.

“One way to encourage enlistment, though, would be to undertake a high-profile campaign involving the children of high-ranking Bush administration officials and members of Congress who are of military age enlisting and volunteering for combat duty in Iraq.

[RWC] Perhaps a more effective way would be for “news” outlets to ease up on the incessant war bashing. I don’t endorse painting a rosy picture; I believe simple balance would be sufficient.

While we’re talking about the children of “high-ranking Bush administration officials and members of Congress” setting an example, what about the impact of high-ranking members of Congress who take every opportunity to paint the Iraq War as a losing proposition? Where’s the call for the Boxers, Durbins, Kennedys, Reids, et cetera to stop undermining the efforts of our men and women in harm’s way? The absence of such a call shows the editorial’s “role model” call is mere partisan posturing.

“Let World War II and not Vietnam be their and their parents’ role model.”

[RWC] What does this mean?

It seems the Times is using Vietnam era anti-war tactics for its role model.